Mark Hasiuk recounts the rise and ignominious fall of Frank Nitti, Al Capone’s muscle man, and draws parallels between Nitti and many of today’s pop icons. Why are so many people drawn to criminals and thugs as objects of admiration? Why are kids targeted as an audience for such poor examples of human achievement?

How can we expect more from our children when we stand on the sidelines and cheer their adulation of today’s Frank Nittis?